Swag is a 2024 Telugu language comedy-drama film written and directed by Hasith Goli. The film has Sree Vishnu, Ritu Varma & Meera Jasmine playing the lead roles while Daksha Nagarkar, Saranya Pradeep, Sunil, Ravi Babu, Getup Srinu, Goparaju Ramana, Harsh Roshan, Vadivukkarasi, Prudhvi Raj, Kadambari Kiran, Kireeti Damaraju, Vasu Inturi & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Vivek Sagar while the film is produced by T.G. Vishwa Prasad under People Media Factory banner.
Story:
The movie centers on the Swaganika family and their vast fortune, which is awaiting the rightful heir to claim it. Sree Vishnu plays several characters across different generations, all of whom are trying to secure the family’s wealth. The story is about who will finally inherit the riches, with a meaningful message delivered at the conclusion.
Sree Vishnu hits the ball out of the park with his stellar performance in 5 different roles. The makers revealed only 4 in the trailer and the 5th role is a surprise twist in the film. He worked hard to highlight the differences between each character, which is clearly visible on screen. He also deserves credit for accepting a complex attempt like this but had the presentation been a bit more clear, this would have been a memorable film for him in his career.
Ritu Varma plays a strong role, bringing depth to the plot, especially at the start and the end. She impresses the audience with her ability to show both emotion and charm, making her character memorable. Meera Jasmine delivers a heartfelt performance with a well-written character that truly suits her age.
After being away from the screen for a while, she leaves a mark with her re-entry in Telugu, reminding the audience of her exceptional acting skills.
Daksha Nagarkar & Saranya Pradeep are pretty decent and do what is neatly expected of them in their limited portions.
Harsh Roshan, the child actor who played Sree Vishnu’s son in the second half impresses with his excellent performance in a very sensitive role.
Ravi Babu & Getup Srinu entertain the audience with their quirky one-liners while Sunil is wasted in a very small role.
Goparaju Ramana, Vadivukkarasi, Prudhvi Raj, Kadambari Kiran, Kireeti Damaraju, Vasu Inturi & others are okay in their respective parts.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Hasith Goli has a very unique point with a fresh backdrop involving family heir and their generational wealth. But the plot is written in a very complex manner which is the biggest drawback of the film. Especially, the plot runs on a clueless note in the first half where scenes come and go in an unclear manner.
The screenplay is very confusing and the way the scenes are designed/written is very poor. There are many scenes in the film which don’t have a proper structure or outcome as they just come and go in a flash. The pace of the film is quite slow. The way the characters are introduced is pretty half-baked and there are a lot of logical mistakes in the film too.
For example, there is no reason or clarity given on why Meera Jasmine and Daksha Nagarkar were showcased in the past era. Director Hasith Goli had a decent script on paper but he failed to translate the same onto the big screens. The narrative style he has chosen is a big mistake as the different time periods aren’t conveyed on screen as he wanted them to be. His scenes look jaded and are very unclear.
Probably a more straightforward narrative would have been a lot better for the overall output. A few one-liners work well but apart from them, most of the dialogues are flat and do not leave any impact. The songs by Vivek Sagar are pretty ordinary but his background score is the film’s biggest strength in the technical department.
Especially his theme music at the interval scenes takes it to another level. The cinematography by Vedaraman Sankaran is good and his framing is on point. The edit by Viplav Nyshadam is poor. Almost about 20-30 minutes in the film could’ve been easily chopped off.
The production values of People Media Factory are grand.
What’s Hot?
* Sree Vishnu’s Performance
* Ritu Varma & Meera Jasmine’s Performances
* Superb Background Score
* Good Interval Sequence & Surprise Twist
* Decent Message At The End
What’s Not?
* Very Confusing & Weak Screenplay
* Poor Scene Designing
* Clueless Narrative & Weak Direction
* Dull & Boring First Half * Forgettable Songs
* Few Impactless Dialogues
* Lot Of Drag & Lengthy Run Time
* Older Look Make Up & Dubbing
Verdict:
Overall, Swag is a mediocre comedy-drama that had a fresh concept that could not be translated effectively onto the screens. The confusing narrative, half-baked scenes, and the clueless direction are the biggest drawbacks of the film that had a sincere effort from its leading man Sree Vishnu. There is a lot of SWAG, sorry DRAG in the film too.